The forward appeared to nudge Branagan backwards and also angrily pointed his finger at the official following the decision to award Carlow a sideline. No action was taken at the time.

With today being a bank holiday, the Central Competitions Control Committee will only review the incident tomorrow, using the referee’s report and video evidence of the flashpoint to determine if a suspension should be proposed.

Sources have indicated to SunSport that the ­incident is not mentioned in referee Seán Hurson’s report.

There are real fears in the capital that Connolly is set to be hit with a 12-week ban for committing a Category V offence, which includes ‘minor physical interference (eg, laying a hand on, pushing, pulling or jostling) with a Referee, Umpire, Linesman or Sideline Official’.